Pronunciation: /ˈmʌɪstrəʊ/noun (plural maestri ˈmʌɪstri or maestros)1 A distinguished conductor or performer of classical music: the orchestra was strained after clashes with the great maestro1.1 A distinguished figure in any sphere: a Vietnam vet turned movie maestro

OriginEarly 18th century: Italian, 'master', from Latin magister.

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Rocco, "the maestro" had been at the theater for an hour. The orchestra was setting up. Molly followed an usher down to the fifth row. There were only a few clusters of occupied seats. She was ready to hear Rocco at work for the first time. It was not an open performance, but it was the final rehearsal. Rocco was not really nervous, but his concentration was split between the orchestra before him and the petite woman behind. The others in the audience didn't matter. It mattered only that she was there. Not only was he the conductor, it was his own composition, and tonight was opening night.

Still, the music took over as he brought down the baton. Horns sounded the opening theme. He was immersed in the flow of sound and did not rise to the surface until the applause of both the audience and orchestra signalled that the piece was over. As he turned towards the seats, row five was empty.

Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but you are welcome to play, too.

The chill of fall air signals the time is right for flocking behavior. Birds conglobulate in large numbers on my front lawn, preparing for their flight south. Several hundred, chirping loudly, filled the shrubs at the pharmacy this morning. If it snows as much this coming winter as it did last year, their instincts will prove to be provident.

Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but you are welcome to play, too.

Pronunciation: /ˈalɡərɪð(ə)m/nounA process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer: a basic algorithm for division

OriginLate 17th century (denoting the Arabic or decimal notation of numbers): variant (influenced by Greek arithmos 'number') of Middle English algorism, via Old French from medieval Latin algorismus. The Arabic source, al-Ḵwārizmī 'the man of Ḵwārizm' (now Khiva), was a name given to the 9th-century mathematician Abū Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Mūsa, author of widely translated works on algebra and arithmetic.

For a while I'll be slow with responses to the WotD and the LMB quote game, for two reasons:

1. My newest PC (since March this year) started showing a display anomaly. I carried it in for repair but I have no idea when I'll have it back. Meanwhile I'll be using my 8-year-old, much slower PC.

2. I've also ordered a copy of Windows 10 on a USB stick. I plan to do a dual boot installation (Windows 7 HP 32 bit and Windows 10 H 64 bit) on the new PC, once it's back. This might take some experimenting and fatal stumbling before I get it set up to my liking. Eventually I'll get there but it may take a while before I get back to my regular very sedate speed (even though my newest PC achieves a WEI of 7.8 instead of the 4.6 my old one shows).

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒnstətɪv//kənˈsteɪtɪv/LinguisticsadjectiveDenoting a speech act or sentence that is a statement declaring something to be the case: a constative sentence Often contrasted with performative.nounBack to top A constative speech act or sentence: constatives present a true or false account of the facts of the case

Chief Assistant District Attorney Seuss pointed at the evidence table and glared at the defendant. The jury leaned slightly more forward in their seats. The judge opened his eye wide.

"That case is the case. That case proves the state's case. That case contained a bomb to wreck the race. Surveillance cameras show the defendant's face as he walks along the sidewalk with that case. Inside was much explosive, more than just a trace. The defendant's fingerprints and DNA are all over the place."

The defense team tightened their grim gazes as the lead prosecutor gave his constative closing argument.

Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but you are welcome to play, too.

Pronunciation: /ˌsʌɪkləˈrɑːmə/noun1 A circular picture of a 360° scene, viewed from inside.1.1 A cloth stretched tight in an arc around the back of a stage set, often used to depict the sky: for the setting, I thought just a bare cyclorama would be nice

OriginMid 19th century: from cyclo-, on the pattern of words such as panorama.

In its own way, the torus performed like a cyclorama. While walking the full circle of the ship's wheel, the regular distribution of viewports offered the crew a way to watch the stars. Fortunately, the viewports could also be set to show more familiar scenery, the plains or even dense jungle images made the ship seem more like home. Of course, walking was possible only because the torus was spinning around the ship's central spine.

Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but you are welcome to play, too.

Pronunciation: /ˌkɒntʃəˈtanteɪ//ˌkɒntʃəˈtanti/adjective1 Denoting a piece of music containing one or more solo parts, typically of less prominence than in a concerto: he wrote several concertante works See also sinfonia concertante.2 Denoting prominent instrumental parts present throughout a piece of music, especially in baroque and early classical compositions: the cantata has a fine violin concertante part

OriginItalian, 'harmonizing', from concertare 'harmonize'.

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Their concertante piece was muddled. It was difficult to extract or appreciate the separate solos from the background players in the orchestra.

[How can a soprano have a solo when her voice is so high?] - Random question from one who hears words differently.

Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but you are welcome to play, too.

Pronunciation: /ˈnwɑː/noun[mass noun]1 A genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity: his film proved that a Brit could do noir as darkly as any American1.1 [count noun] A film or novel in the noir genre: he says he’s making a noir

Origin1970s: from film noir.

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The script and dialog were so ambiguous that it was difficult to decide if the film was truly noir or just bad comedy.

[Apologies to anyone with a better memory than mine. The forum software does not offer search results for words this short so I could not check to see if it had been a WotD before.]

Words are a game. Sometimes I play alone, but you are welcome to play, too.